After the Steam Droplet- 適合中級的英語短篇故事

A soft hiss rose from the tea vendor’s covered metal plate. Steam drifted above bright awnings and wavered across the midday lane. Rosa knelt beside her stall, arranging small painted wax figures on a tin tray. Sunlight warmed the metal, and each figure leaned slightly as the base softened. One tin lid carried small holes; a candle there once shone under the stars outside her house. Farther yonder, drums cracked while children stamped their sandals in a wonderful time. Glass jars near the soup stall fogged and cleared with each passing swirl of heat. Two ribbon flags on a nearby pole twirled in kindred spirit spirals through the warm air.

The steam thickened and slid sideways when a gust opened the vendor’s wooden lid. Moist air met the cooler glass jar above Rosa’s tray and turned into quick droplets. One droplet fell, struck a wax hat, and sent the tiny figure gliding forward. Rosa’s hand darted, yet the figure slipped into a basket of mint stalks. She paused, then lifted the entire tray and carried it toward a shaded stone step. Her friend Erik crossed the lane with iced lemonade; condensation beaded along his knuckles. He placed the jug nearby, cooling the stone and stiffening the leaning figures. Steam hung low between stalls, mingling with the cool breath of crushed ice at the fish counter. Behind them, the tea vendor waved more steam into the sky, leaving the plate shining wet. Rosa set the tray on the cooler stone. Above the awnings, a bright paper kite dived once and rolled onward beyond the spice stall.

茶攤的金屬爐面發出輕微嘶嘶聲，蒸氣在鮮豔的棚布上方漂浮，晃過正午的通道。羅莎蹲在自己的攤位旁，把彩繪蠟像排進錫盤。陽光將盤子烘得微暖，每尊蠟像的底座因而略微傾斜。有一只錫蓋上打著小孔，曾在她家外點燈時於星空下散出點點光。更遠處傳來鼓聲，小孩跺著涼鞋，正享受熱鬧時刻。湯攤旁的玻璃罐因熱氣時而起霧、時而清明。近桿上兩條彩帶被熱風捲成同步的漩渦。

忽然，一股風揭開湯鍋木蓋，蒸氣變濃後橫移。溫熱空氣碰上羅莎盤上方較冷的玻璃罐，瞬間形成水珠。一滴水落下，擊中蠟帽，讓小小蠟像順勢滑出。羅莎伸手卻仍讓它溜進薄荷籃。她停了一下，提起整盤蠟像移到陰涼石階。朋友埃里克端著冰檸檬水穿過通道，指節上凝著水珠。他把壺放在旁邊，冰涼石面也使傾斜的蠟像凝固。蒸氣在攤位間低懸，與魚攤碎冰的冷霧交錯。茶攤老闆揮動勺子，更多蒸氣衝向天空，爐面閃著濕亮。羅莎把盤子放上較冷的石階。棚布上方，一只鮮亮紙風箏俯衝後翻身，越過香料攤繼續前行。